Best way to remove paint from outwales?

[lowangle al]

I have a restored OT wood canvas boat the the outwales have been replaced. The guy who restored it painted the outwales because he couldn't get them to match the inwales. The paint is now chipping off leaving exposed unprotected wood and has led to more than one under the fingernail slivers.


I would like to remove the paint to stain and varnish but maybe I'd be better off just repainting. My questions are, how to remove the paint or how to protect the exposed wood (oil, paint or varnish?) until I can do the whole job.


Thanks, Alan

 

[Iskweo]

There is no real "easy"way to do it. Best case scenario....remove the outers, use industrial paint stripper on them ( ie...body shop supply) rinse with warm water/soap. Once they dry, sand to remove roughness and raised grain then either stain first or just varnish them. Do the backside too, this is why its best to remove them if you want it done right.
Reinstall, et voila...you rock.

Christy

 

[dave0]

I agree with Christy. I recently painted some gunwales only to have it start chipping off. My solution was to make new ones but that is a whole different story. If you have a heated area to work in I think it should take a week or two.

dougd

 

[lowangle al]

No Title

Thanks Christy, that's good info, I don't think I want to get involved with removing them especially since they are allready pretty beat up and would never look new again. I think I'm leaning towards oiling the exposed wood as the paint comes off until I can replace them.(unless someone has a better idea) They are spruce and I have another boat with spruce gunnels and they are beat up too, but my boat with ash gunnels that has seen more use than either of them is still in good shape. The other difference may be that both boats with spruce gunnels were finished by home builders and the one with ash is a factory finish.

 

[forest runes]

Al , If the paint is failing now , you could try a card scraper which would also smooth out existing roughness . Just watch the grain orientation.

 

[lowangle al]

Al , If the paint is failing now , you could try a card scraper which would also smooth out existing roughness . Just watch the grain orientation.

Thanks I already removed some wood peeling off some loose paint.


Thanks Doug, I have limited time now and am not concerned with the asthetics of them anymore so I think I will preserve them the best I can until they can be replaced. With a harder wood hopefully.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Do you know what kind of wood used in the outwhales ? If It's a soft wood, I'd replace. It's probably rotting,

​ If it's Ash, scraping would be my choice. Tape off the hull, so you don't tear into the canvas. Maybe a couple of layers of tape.

Good luck !

Jim

 

[Robin]

I would use a 1/4 sander with whatever grit gets it done, or a belt sander with whatever grit. Even if the screws holding the gunnels to the inwales are not counter sunk I would still sand. You never know if the old screws are going to come out with a screwdriver anyway, sometimes you need a chisel, saw and vice grpis so sanding them won't be a deal breaker imo.
I also put my gunnels back on the canoe before the last coat(s) of paint to a new canvas. I then run a bead of Sikaflex where the bottom of the gunnel meets the canvas forming a waterproof seal. I then paint the underneath of the gunnels as I paint the final coat(s), I just tape the gunnels on the vertical outsides and remove the tape while the paint is wet.

 

[Boatman53]

I use a heat gun and a handle mounted scraper. The scraper is SHARP with a burr. The heat softens even the oldest varnish. That is my method. The big boats I usually work on would have none of the chemical strippers, too hard to control what gets removed. My favorite scraper is no longer made, but I hope I have enough blades to last me. I can't tell you how many miles of varnish I've removed with that method. It is fast, maybe not as fast as a belt sander but definitely more control.
Jim

 

[lowangle al]

The outwales are spruce and they looked like crap from the get go. They were the only feature on the boat I didn't like and figured I would replace them someday anyway, but I didn't think they would deteriorate so quick. Now my goal is to make them last a few years (with as little work as possible) until I can replace them.


So if the lake is frozen when I get to Pa. next week I could give sanding and refinishing a try but if I can still paddle I think I will oil any exposed wood and put it off and hope for the best.


Robin, would the 1\4 sander would be more forgiving than a belt sander as far as contacting the hull?


Jim, would the heat gun and scraper work on paint?


Thanks for your replies.

 

[Robin]

A layer of blue tape along the hull under the gunnel will protect the hull.

That heat gun sounds like a good idea, as do all the other methods. Just whatever you have on hand for tools and time.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Ive used a mouse sander with pretty good results but if you don't have one, the smaller the unit the better. Tape.. I taped a couple of layers for best protection and taped to about two inches down. I am a klutz.

My frien Tom used concave sanding blocks shaped to fit the gunwales and hand sanded.

If the heat gun works on other paint removing projects cant see why it wouldn't work ..

I also was thinking of a rasp for removing coarse splinters if you have those left after paint removal.. I have not tried that though

 

[Boatman53]

Yes paint bubbles up even better than varnish. You just need to be careful when doing the undersides of the gunnel that the paint on the hull doesn't get hot. I work with the gun just in front of the scraper, keep it moving. Once I start, the only reason to stop is my arms get tired or I need to shift the boat. The paint chips that get scraped off cool and harden before they hit the floor, just sweep up when you're finished.
Jim

 

[Alan Gage]

A foam interface pad on an orbital sander would do a nice job conforming to the curves. They're cheap and come in handy often.

Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

Need to be very careful with the heat gun, as you have the canvas to worry about. Take extra care to protect the canvas, or you'll be in for a lot more than replacing the outwhale.

Jim

 

[lowangle al]

I just got back from Pa. today and am happy to say that because of the good info I received here the refinishing of my outwhales went very well. I was also lucky to hear about a retailer called Harbor Freight where I picked up a 1/3 sander and a 3 inch belt sander for cheap. ( I hope they hold up) The sanding only took a couple hours with the belt sander removing most of the paint and the 1\3 sander for the finish sanding. The wood was in better shape then I thought. I oiled the crap out of it and then put on four coats of varnish and am confident that they will last a long time as long as I don't abuse it.

I also lightly sanded the floor of my other boat and got a few coats of varnish on it. It is a good feeling knowing both my boats are all maintained up and ready to use for my next trip. Thanks again.

 

[Robin]

Good news, nice when things work out.

I'm getting back into the canoes tomorrow, I have the wood stove warming up the basement shop tonight and tomorrow I start sanding/painting two canoes, the Chestnut Chum and the Farber (15') wood canvas with the lightweight #10canvas. Monday my friend Bob and I will start painting two wood canvas canoes we canvassed last fall.
Helps make the winter fly by.